New Delhi: Tina Ambani skips ED questioning; to be issued fresh summons
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to issue fresh summons to Tina Ambani, wife of industrialist Anil Ambani, after she did not appear for questioning on Monday in connection with a money laundering probe against Reliance Group, people familiar with the matter said.
The federal agency has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate cases against Anil Ambani-led group companies as per the Supreme Court’s direction last Wednesday.
“We will issue a fresh summons to Tina Ambani. She was supposed to appear on Monday but did not come,” said an officer who did not want to be named.
HT has reached out to the Reliance Group for a comment. Anil Ambani was questioned in the case last year.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the central agencies and government to ensure Anil Ambani does not leave the country. It directed the agencies to act “fairly, swiftly and without any fear or favour” given the magnitude of the alleged siphoning of public funds.
The ED’s affidavit in the court said that its investigation had so far revealed large-scale defaults by multiple Reliance Group entities. The agency said Reliance Home Finance Ltd defaulted on loans worth ₹7,523.46 crore taken from 33 banks and financial institutions, of which lenders could recover only ₹2,116.28 crore after resolution, leaving net defaults of ₹5,407.18 crore, constituting alleged proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd defaulted on loans of ₹8,226.05 crore taken from 21 lenders, with recoveries of only ₹1,945.48 crore, resulting in alleged proceeds of crime amounting to ₹6,280.57 crore.
In the Reliance Communications Limited case registered following the State Bank of India complaint, ED said it and its group companies, Reliance Telecom Ltd and Reliance Infratel Ltd, had taken loans from 13 foreign banks and institutional investors and 26 Indian banks and financial institutions, with outstanding dues totalling ₹40,185.55 crore, which also form the quantum of alleged proceeds of crime.
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